A Christmas by the lake
by AlwaysEverlark
Summary: Katniss and Peeta spent a different and incredible Christmas Eve by the lake. AU modern day. Written for PiP Holiday challenge


**A Christmas by the Lake**

As set foot out of the car and stepped on the snow with his boot, Peeta began to regret having said yes. But who was he kidding? He always would say yes to everything. And spend Christmas camped in "her" forests would not be an exception, although not even remotely what he had thought.

They had been living together for three years and had been five since the first time they kissed, and that's all that Peeta had always wanted. Katniss was his dream come true, his very perfect Christmas gift... Although she did not like to hear that from him. For though all was well between them, there would always be three things they would not agree: Christmas, take their relationship a step further and get married and have children, of course.

"Come on, Peeta! Get out the car. It will take us a while to get to the lake or we will have to do an overnight"

"We are going to spend the night out, Katniss. I do not understand why we have come out so late anyway"

"I had some things to do" she said cryptically

"Ok right , but now there is no way to get to the lake. Do you know that, right?"

"Then we can look around here somewhere. Sure there is some romantic place to spend the night..."

"Romantic? Have you said romantic?" Peeta asked surprised and looked into her eyes hoping to see some flashes of mockery on them, but all he found was the intense gaze of his girlfriend and a shy smile. "Katniss Everdeen, you are acting all weird ... I don't know what you're up to."

"Peeta Mellark, get your things from the backseat while I get the backpacks from the boot.. "

This time, she smiled mockingly, but gave him a quick kiss on the lips and left him to collect the bags.

"Here you have" Katniss said, with a beaming smile on her face "blades you wear ... So you don't learn to distrust your angelic girlfriend"

To see her so cheerful and happy make Peeta to forget the rest of the world. To forget that they used to bake Christmas Eve cookies together, lit the fire and sat down to dinner lamb stew with plums between blankets and pillows, as they kissed under the mistletoe ... But those were all the concessions made by Katniss about Christmas.

And although he was a traditional (not religious) boy and loved everything that was related to these dates: decorations, carols, lights and tree included... He did not mind giving them up if with that, the beautiful woman in front of him was happy.

"Now come on, or it will be dark before we reach the clearing in the forest where I think we can camp ... It is a lovely place near to the lake that I found a couple of months ago. It's close, 30 or 40 minute if we walk fast ... And there is a good hunting area near too " Katniss said over her shoulder as she carried her bow and arrows.

"I knew you were up to something? Romantic, uh?" Peeta replied with a laugh, "you do not know how to lie."

"If you say so..."

And with a wink of her eye, they set off. Katniss grabbed his hand but his sin was covered due to gloves.

Peeta was fit by going to the gym three times a week and lifting weights, but walking through the freshly fallen snow required not only physically but also experience. But He was clumsy in outdoor activities if they involved uneven ground, ice or snow. Katniss, on the contrary, was graceful and silent, made her walk evoke fairies or better yet the elves from Lord of the rings, she could well be Arwen or Galadriel.

Absorbed as he was in his thoughts, he did not realize that Katniss had stopped and bumped into her.

"Hey!" Katniss exclaimed "I almost fell. What were you thinking about?"

Peeta doubted for a time to confess all the truth but tell her that he was comparing her with magical creatures did not seem a good idea, so without lying, but playing it safe, he replied:

"I was thinking about you" and before she could answer, he caught her by her waist and kissed her intensely before keep saying "I always think of you. I always think of you"

And they kissed again. When they separated searching from some air. Katniss looked at him with complicity and tenderness.

"I love you, Peeta. I'm not sure if I tell you or if I show you everything I should, but I love you so much."

"You are still acting very strange ... But I love it," he said, gazing adoringly.

"We're almost there, we just have to get through these trees."

The two left the Lake Road to enter the bushes and deep forest. Peeta was not sure where they were going but he was fully confident in Katniss' knowledge of the forest, she had been coming to this forest as a little girl with his father to hunt, fish, climb trees or just a walk. This was like her second home.

When they finally came to light, Peeta opened his eyes in ecstasy. The snow was covering the ground as an immaculate white carpet, and there was a lovely and lonely pine in the middle of the trees circle, like an island in a sea of ice. The nearly full moon was beginning to appear on a sky, sailing between day and night.

"This is beautiful" he said, finally breaking the silence "You know what I think?"

Katniss shooked her head and pressed her hand to keep him talking. He was a way with words, and she wanted to listen every single word.

"I do believe that you, Miss Everdeen, have an eye for beauty"

"No" Katniss said, laughing " not at all. But when I saw it I thought of you. I thought of the lovely picture you could draw. And, well ... I thought it would be a nice Christmas present for both of us".

"Gifts?" Peeta asked surprised "Are we, perhaps, breaking rule number two of Christmas?"

The first rule was that there was no tree. The second no gifts and the third, no Christmas postcards.

"Maybe, well... Just for a few hours?" she said in a whisper voice.

"Katniss are you okay? You seem..."

"Awkward? - She interrupted him and continued in a mocking tone "Yes, I think that you have told me that before. Peeta I'm fine, really. Besides, we better start working.

After deciding where to camp, they began to remove the snow to pitch their tent and prepare a fire. Once they finished, the moon was shoning in the sky. And Peeta, even knowing it was a war that he could hardly win, threw a snowball at Katniss.

"That was a betrayal! Now you will see what it is to suffer" Katniss shouted while preparing his counterattack.

But before she could throw it, Peeta sent another ... and another.

"You didn't think I was going to start a snowball fight unprepared. We know each other for years. You and me, together, Everdeen"

But then Katniss took his bow and snowballs and shot directly to his face.

"Ouch" he cried

"Did I hurt you?" She asked worried meanwhile she ran and hugged him with one arm as she lifted his face to hers with the other hand. "Are you okay?"

"Gotcha" Peeta said as he turned around and fell into the snow, one above the other, laughing.

When they got up, went to the tent to change their clothes and lit the fire to warm dinner.

"The menu for tonight" began listing Katniss "is lamb stew and ginger biscuits, but not just any ginger cookie, but the genuine ginger cookies from Mellark's bakery.

"When you've done ... How Katniss?" Peeta asked with his mouth open.

"Well, I had some help of Rye ..."

"You're full of surprises" Peeta said tenderly "I couldn't think I could love you more. But I was wrong, because it's impossible not to love you more and more every moment".

"Oh, and get ready because the night it is not over" She responded with a mischievous smile.

The next morning, Peeta woke up alone in the tent. I notice some aching muscles as he stretched his arm to look for Katniss in the relative darkness of the inside.

"Katniss" he called, but got no response.

He Rose lazily and starting to dress, but before leaving the tent he saw a note gathered to the zipper entry of the tent:

"I've gone hunting for breakfast. It won't take me long but wait for me inside the tent till I return ... Your surprises have not finished yet"

He read again the note with a silly grin on his face. A smile that only men in love have in their faces, and he knew it. In fact He knew as soon as he heard her sing at the karaoke bar, knew he was lost for that girl. Not that Peeta fell often for unknown women, but when he saw her , knew that Katniss was one in a million.

A few minutes later, he heard her scream his name. Of course, he had not heard her approaching. She was a hunter, and her steps were silent.

"Peeta! Are you awake?"

"Yes, give a minute!"

"Sure, you can take two. In fact..." She said "can you wait till I tell you"

But two minutes became five and five in ten. Outside he could heard noises like branches as crystals collide. He had no idea what she was preparing to him.

Suddenly, a scream and a constant sound were sounding outsider. It was like a hum, like millions of bees...

Without waiting and scared, Peeta left the tent to see a sweaty Katniss at the foot of a tree lit and decorated with Christmas details.

"Katniss is ... It's beautiful."

"Why did you come early? I want to Blindfolde you and get you here"

"Sorry, the generator ... I thought it was a swarm of bees and I got scared."

"I'm fine," she said smiling and stroking her hand "I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry about me".

"Thank you. All this, what you've done. This is the best world'sChristmas ever" Peeta said with tears in his eyes.

"Well, sometimes, it's good to break rules".

"And speaking of breaking rules" a ver serious Peeta said as he knelt and pulled a ring from his pants pocket" Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"

"Oh yes ... Of course" said a happy Katniss, while Peeta rose from the ground and kissed her passionately" When you got the ring?"

"That, yes see, though it may sound a bit pathetic, I wear this ring with me every time we go out alone, hoping to have the courage to ask you this question" he said as he nervously ran his hand through his blond hair.

"It is not pathetic at all. It's like you, surprisingly tender and wonderful."

"Good answer"

"And Peeta, one last surprise ..."

"Katniss, what more could you have done. That's all I want" he said as he fixed his gaze on her inimitable gray eyes. One idea making its way into his mind".

"Yes" confirmed Katniss when she saw the certainty in his eyes "I'm pregnant".

* * *

**Thanks for reading! This is my first Everlark story in English, so please apologize my grammar.**

**hope you enjoy and happy Xmas!**

**please R&R**


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